Book Review: Still Can't Do My Daughters Hair (poetry)

Title: Still Can't Do My Daughters Hair
Author: William Evans
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 4.5 stars
Page Count: 96
Publication Date: October 23rd, 2017

Summary:
A collection of poetry by William Evans - he's the founder of Black Nerd Problems and has performed poetry on stages across the country. (I highly recommend checking out his work on YouTube, he's performed there and phew)


author twitter
blacknerdproblems



Review:

eARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This collection. There's so much here. I felt like so much of it was going over my head. I love poetry but I'm not super well versed in it. If you feel the same I highly recommend just reading it out loud to yourself, especially this kind of poetry by someone who performs it a lot (or just go on the internet and look up them performing it, because that's a whole different level).

This is, apparently, less then 100 words and almost made me cry? I can't really review this collection with any authority, as I'm white, so I'm not going to try. I'm just going to try and give you enough thoughts that, hopefully, you go pick this collection up for yourself. Or for a friend.

There's just - so much and it is so well done, well written, fucking incredible. I could tell that even when it fel tlike it was going over my head.

I cannot recommend this poetry collection  enough - it's so damn good and so important to me now. Reading poetry by people of color is some of the hardest things to do, because there can be so much raw pain there, and it's hard to read, but I feel like I owe it to myself to do so. And you should definitely go check out William Evan's stuff, definitely this collections, it's the one thing I've seen from him but I highly, highly recommend.

"I could be more compassionate, but I was raised by the dead."

Phew

... still coming for the children. It is telling us that we are still the children." 

And also ow, for both of those. I, sadly, need to get better at highlighting and notes when reading ebooks as I'm sure there's more things that I'd be quoting but phew boy. This poetry collection

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Book Review: Depression & Other Magic Tricks

Title: Depression & Other Magic Tricks
Author: Sabrina Benaim
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 3/5
Page Count: 97
Publication Date: April 18th, 2017

Summary:
This is a poetry collection written by Sabrina Benaim (best known for Explaining My Depression to My Mother) and this is her first poetry collection.


author's twitter





Review:
There were parts of this collection I really, really enjoyed and connected to but it didn't blow me away in any way. I don't know what it was about this collection but, while I did really enjoy it, I didn't become super attached to it.

I didn't know a lot of this poetry collection when I originally decided to request it, though I did realize I knew a poem from it - Explaining My Depression to my Mother - which, if you haven't listened to, hey. I've seen it during those slam poetry youtube holes I fall down every once and a while.

I'm not sure why this poetry collection didn't catch me more, maybe it was just the mood I was in while I was reading it. I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but I did get annoyed with it at points. All of which were definitely personal things and nothing to do with the author.

There were multiple points talking about her depression in relation to a signficant other, which I understand can be a part of it, but the way she described it at points was honestly just frustrating for me. Someone else cannot cure your depression and that just argh.

Overall, though, this was a solid poetry collection and I would recommend checking it out.

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Graphic Novel Review: What Does Consent Really Mean?

Title(s): What Does Consent Really Mean?
Author: Pete Wallis, Thalia Walls, +
Genre: contemporary / self-help
Rating: 4/5
Page Count: 64 pages
Publication Date: November 21st, 2017

Review:
A comic about exactly what it says - What Does Consent Really Mean? It's a question brought up in the comic between three teenage girls - I think they're suppose to be high school age? probably 16-18 - about what consent really means, talking it out amongst themselves.

This is definitely super important and I feel like it covered a lot of bases very well - not all the bases, but there are so many layers I can't be surprised about that. I was a bit worried going in since the first person listed is a man - I know there are problems there as well but... - but I was honestly really pleasantly surprised.

To be fair, though, I knew nothing but that going in.

Pros:
- diversity (characters)
- covered different POV's
- educational
- no slut shaming (that isn't pushed against)

Cons:
- read like an afternoon TV special at a few points
- didn't feel like some of the guys really understood fully? (this might of just been me, but if you've read/end up picking up, let me know your thoughts)

That con isn't even that bad, but it is why I couldn't give it a full 5 stars. But I think this is a truly important comic and it's good it's finally out. Especially that we got to see the guys confronting their own toxic thought cycles - ahh, the way people want to seem cool, just making us hurt ourselves, really.

Overall, I'd recommend this for, well, anyone. For classrooms - even for middle school, to be honest, because there can already be those ideas forming about who they should/shouldn't be with people - and libraries, of course. But also just for people. If you've got a son or daughter, especially, I hope you borrow or buy this for them. Let me know that their wants matter, and that not saying yes is not consent.